MAGGIE COLES-LYSTER WITH A TOP FIVE FINISH AT COMMONWEALTH GAMES
Warwick, England (August 7, 2022) – Maggie-Coles Lyster caps off her first Commonwealth Games schedule with a fifth-place finish after a tight race for the line in the women’s Road Race in Warwick, England. The Maple Ridge native would be Canada’s top finisher in the event on the final day for both men and women’s races. Her performance comes just one week after winning a bronze on the track in the women’s Scratch Race in London.
“We went out to race for the win,” said Coles-Lyster after just missing her second podium finish. “At the end, the riders just had better legs. It’s tough when you catch riders going around you in your periphery, but you just have to do everything you can to get to that line as fast as possible. Overall, the Commonwealth Games was just such a great experience. There are so many people out watching and the atmosphere is just electrifying. We were in London racing on the track there and those stands were full, and then the village life down in Warwick, there’s just a lot to take in with these Games and I’ve loved every minute of it.”
Pier-André Côté pushed his way to 13th spot in the men’s Road Race to be men’s top finisher where he held his ground with the peloton, where he was able to sprint with the pack before falling back in the last lap of the 160-kilometre race. The Quebec native also finished in 13th when he competed in the men’s Time Trial earlier in the week.
“We were here to definitely win a bike race, so we raced in that direction,” said Côté. “We followed a few attacks the first hour, and then I ended up in a group of 15 with some of the strongest riders in the world. I felt good at the front, feeling confident and then I started attacking with three laps to go. Tried to play it safe and then gambled a little bit, just didn’t have the legs to be up at the front. It was a straightforward course but it had a nice flow to it. It was such a cool experience being here, it was one of the best bike races I’ve done.”
Other notable Canadian finishes from road athletes at the Games were Olympians Alison Jackson and Leah Kirchmann finishing 11th and 12th with Simone Boilard coming off the Tour de Femmes, just behind her teammates in 13th place. Michael Foley also switched gears from racing at the velodrome on week one of the Games to finish in the top 25 in the men’s Time Trial.
With Road Races complete, Canadian cyclists have officially wrapped up their Games schedule with a total of five medals from the track and a top five finish on the road. Full results from both track and road events can be found here.
